The Hill

The timing of it was perfect. It was the peak of summer; not a single cloud populated the sky, and the gentle yet warm rays of the sun fell without impediment on the verdant rolling hills below. So, when his dad asked him again, ‘Do you want to go for a trek today?’, Phil’s answer was unmistakable. ‘Of course, he replied immediately, or sooner than that.

Without skipping a beat, the duo began packing their backpacks with all the essentials and were soon departing their sequestered chalet. Normally, the trek would challenge Phil, a chronic asthmatic, but today the sun’s rays invigorated him, and the cool summer breeze filled his lungs with fresh air, like a natural inhaler. They sped up the hill and soon reached the summit: a large flat plain, roughly the size of 3 football fields, and densely covered in vegetation. From there, the father and son admired the lush natural landscape overflowing with trees, and abundant in wildlife. Phil thought the view was perfect enough to be a stamp.

Almost every day that summer, the two would climb up that same hill. The trees became neighbourhood friends, and the birds became family. They would hours on end ensconced in its beauty, calm by nature’s warm embrace. Their happiness would be short-lived though, as Phil’s dad was required to move back to the city.

The two left a part of themselves in the hill, for it had captured their heart.

Years later, when Phil had become an adult and a father himself, he surprised his father on his 50th birthday with a visit back to the hill. They were both pumped with adrenaline to see the wondrous sight again.

What a surprise it was then.

The hill had been excavated and dug out to the ground. So had all the others surrounding it. The trees had been chopped down. The birds and animals were nowhere to be seen. The verdant lining of The gorgeous greens of nature had been replaced by the gritty grey of concrete. The only colour in all the land was the fluorescent hue of construction workers. The man had reduced this once mystical paradise to just another urban township. 

Both Phil and his dad broke down into tears. Moments later, it miraculously started raining, as nature joined them in their mourning.